Anchoring nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots on nickel carbonate hydroxide nanosheets for hybrid supercapacitor applications

Abstract With the ever-increasing demands for energy resources, the exploration of high energy density hybrid supercapacitors is urgently required. Herein, an effective hydrothermal strategy is demonstrated to construct advanced cathode of nickel carbonate hydroxide (NCH) ultrathin nanosheets anchored nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (NCQDs) for hybrid supercapacitors. It is revealed that the NCQDs are evenly deposited on the surface of NCH nanosheets, which provide abundant active sites for NCH nanosheets and endow them improved electrochemical characteristics. The NCH/NCQDs nanosheets deliver a decent electrochemical capacity of 727C g−1 at 1 A g−1 with ameliorative rate capability and cyclic stability. In addition, a hybrid supercapacitor device with an impressive energy density (49.1 Wh kg−1 at 700.3 W kg−1) and stable cycling property (87.5% after 8000 cycles) is fabricated by employing NCH/NCQDs nanosheets and p-phenylenediamine functionalized reduced graphene oxide (PRGO) as cathode and anode. These results indicate the great potential of NCH/NCQDs nanosheets for renewable energy storage.